Portable electrically heated preheater



June 14, 1955 M. DoNlAK PORTABLE ELECTRICALLY HEATED PREHEATER 2Sheets-Sheec l Filed Feb. 25, 1954 67a. /lu

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June M, 1955 M. DoNlAK 2,710,908

PORTABLE ELECTRICALLY -HEATED PREHEATER Filed Feb. 23, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 2 figg.

United States Patent Oflice 2,710,908 Patented June 14, 1955 PORTABLEELECT RICALLY HEATED PREHEATER Michael Doniak, Compton, Calif.Application February 23, 1954, Serial No. 411,636 6 Claims. (Cl. 219-39)This invention relates to a portable preheater that may be used whereoil, gas and like fuels are not available for providing heat, since myimproved device is entirely electric with thermostatic controls.

My improved construction eliminates the need for masonry such as commonlire brick with a resultant saving in manufacturing costs.

An important object of my invention is to provide an improved preheatercomprising a self-contained unit that is simple in construction andcompact in form, so as to take up a minimum of space.

Another object is to provide a preheater which includes a tank,preferably steel, which has inlets for iluid at several places in thebottom so that the lluid may be thoroughly distributed at its inletpoints.

A further object is to provide inlets at the bottom of the tank so thatthe fluid may be forced to circulate upwards in the tank.

Another object of the invention is to provide a series of equally spacedtubes in the tank which have means for permitting the tubes to expand orcontract without distorting the tank.

A further object is to provide electric heating elements within theclosed tubes so that the periphery of the tubes may be heated for thepurpose of heating the iluid, gradually and mildly as it is pumpedupwardly through the tank.

Another object is to provide ballles on the inside of the tank, betweeneach row of tubes, with staggered openings, so that the fluid willthoroughly contact the entire surface of the heated tubes in each rowbefore passing upwards to the next row of tubes, the capacity of thetank being much greater than the supply line to insure slow passage ofthe iluid through the tank.

A further object is to provide a pumping system which may be reversedfor completely draining the tank, the draining being facilitated becausethe baffles are installed at a downward angle toward the openings whichextend across the entire width of the tank.

Further objects and advantages will be brought out in the followingspecification and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is an assembly view of my improved portable, electrically heatedpreheater, shown partly in elevation and partly in section on line 1-1of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4

Fig. 6 is a plan view of element shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the main struc ture comprises atank 10, preferably made of metal, havthe elongated, electric heating ofthe structure shown ing a top Wall 12, a bottom wall 14, a front wall16, a back wall 18 and side Walls 15 and 17. The tank 10 has a pluralityof upright supports 20, resting on and connected to ground beams 21.

The tank 10, as shown in Figs. l and 2, is provided in the bottom wall14, along its front edge, with a central inlet 22 and added inlets 23and 24, for connection with the manifold 25. The manifold is providedcentrally with a T fitting 25a to receive a supply pipe 26 with apressure gage 28 at an intermediate point.

A suitable pump 30 is connected to the supply pipe 26, the pump havingan inlet pipe 32. A drive means, shown as an electric motor 33, but notlimited thereto, is connected by a belt 34 or the like to the pump 30.

The tank 10, as shown in Fig. 1, is furnished with a series of bailleplates which have three edges welded or otherwise fastened to the insidefaces of the tank, the bailles being alternately fastened to the frontWall 16 and the back wall 18, and sloping gently downwardly toward theopposite wall, but ending short thereof to leave a wall to wall opening.The bottom baille 35 is welded to the walls 16, 15 and 17, and slopesgently down towards the Wall 18, but being short thereof as shown at 36.

Spaced above the baille 3S is a similar baflle 37 having an opening 38.Midway between the bailles 35 and 37 is a baille 39 having an opening4d, and equally spaced above the baille 39 is a similar baille 41 havingan opening 42. rl`he slope of the batlle plates facilitate draining ofthe tank when the pump is reversed.

The top wall 12 of the tank 10 is provided with an outlet pipe 44 whichleads upwardly from the narrow end portion of a funnel shaped structure45 formed in the top wall adjacent to the back wall 18. Said structure45' underlies a part of said top wall which projects rearwardly of saidrear wall. The tank is provided with a plurality of heating tubes 47which extend through the side walls 15 and 17, between the top andbottom tank walls 12 and 14, and between the baffles 35, 37, 39 and 41,in equally spaced, horizontal and vertical rows. As shown in Figs. 2 and3, the tubes 47 extend beyond the walls 15 and 17 at 48 and 49, so thattheir ends may be closed oil by the caps 5'0. Fixed to the walls 1S and17 are flanges 51 bored to receive tubes 47. The packing gland 52 isprovided with a sleeve 53 having an internal diameter adapted to receivethe flange 54 of the pressure plate 55', and packing material 56 andbolts 56a complete the gland 52.

Since the glands 52 are used at both ends of the tubes, it is clear thatthe tubes may be permitted to expand or contract without distorting thetank 10. The caps 50 prevent the escape of heat from the tubes 47, andprevent dust particles from settling in the tubes around the heatersfrom the atmosphere.

As shown in Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 7, the tubes 47 are provided withelongated electric heaters of the bar type, and having insulated heatedelements. The heaters 57 are located within the tubes 47, adjacent tothe inside walls and coextensive therewith, and equally spaced aroundsaid walls; a total of three heaters being used in this instance,although any suitable number may be used.

The heater 57 includes a bar S9 which is enclosed almost completely by asheath 60, said sheath being channel shaped in cross section, with eachflange having an inwardly directed lip 61. The lips 61 overlie the bar59 to aid in keeping the bar and contained heating element in place.Each group of reflector plates S8 cooperates with one of the electricheating elements 57, as shown in Fig. 5. The heaters are supported bystraps 61a which are fixed to the inner surface of the tubes 47 byrivets 615 or the like. Suitable conductor wires 62 and 63 are providedfor each heater, the wires being threaded through the elbow fittings 64into enclosed conduit boxes 65, and having cover plates 66. As shown inFig. 2, one conduit box is furnished for each horizontal row of tubes47, the boxes in turn being connected by means of hollow connectors 67to a collector box 68 which is constructed similarly to the conduit box65. The box 68 is furnished with a fitting 70 which guides the lead inwires from the source of current and the thermostatic control means tothe collector box 68, and thence to the conduit box 65 and finally tothe heaters 57.

The broad portion of the aforesaid funnel shaped structure 45 extendsacross and communicates with substantially the mid-length third of theupper part of said receptacle, thus adding considerably to the extent towhich flowing liquid is brought into Contact with those heating tubeswhich are above the uppermost batiie.

In the use of my improved portable electrically heated preheater, theinlet pipe 32 is connected to a suitable source of fluid which is forcedby a pump 3i) through the supply pipe 26 and manifold 25 into the inlets22, 23 and 24 of the bottom Wall 14 of the tank, adjacent to the frontwall 16. The plurality of inlets in the bottom of the tank insures thatthe liuid will be thoroughly distributed, and that the density of thefluid will be uniform.

As shown in Fig. 1, the bales 35, 37, 39 and 421 will hold the fluid incontact with the tubes 4'7 until the lluid reaches the openings 36, 38,46 and 42, at which time the liuid will slowly circulate upwardly in aback and forth movement which is retarded by the upward slope of theballles to insure maximum efficiency'. As the fluid passes the tube 47a,which is the last tube to be contacted, it passes into a funnel shapedstructure 45, which leads the fluid to the outlet pipe 44, said pipebeing connected to any suitable storage tank or the like.

This preheater can also be equipped with a reservoir of liquid or oilthat can be pumped through the preheater to be heated and thencirculated through the storage tank, not shown, which is equipped withheating coils.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have designed an improvedportable, electrically heated preheater that is simple and practical inconstruction, and one that will give a maximum of eiliciency with aminimum of initial and maintenance cost.

I reserve the right to make numerous changes in the size, shape andarrangement of the parts so long as l do not depart from the spirit ofthe invention or the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a portable preheater, a tank, said tank having top and bottomwalls, front and back walls and side walls, a plurality of superimposedalternately connected to all but one wall of the tank, the battles alterately terminating short of the free wall to form coextensive, alternateopenings, heating tubes extending between the baflles and the top andbottom walls of the tank and parallel to the coextensive openings of thebafes, the bottom wall having a plurality of inlets, a rearwardlytapered funnel shaped structure formed by the back and top walls, andthe top wall havin's outlet comm with the narrow part in funnel shapedstructure rearwardly of said receptacle.

2. The subject matter of clairn i, and Lhe baflies sloping upwardly fromthe coextensive ope -s toward the opposite wall whereby the upward'ti-ow of te huid may be retarded and the drainage of the tankfacilitated.

3. T subject matter of claim 2, and heating elements extending axiallyand interiorly adjacent the walls of the heating tubes.

4. The subiect matter of claim 3, and a manifold connected to theinlets, a pump having an inlet, and a supply line connecting the pumpand the manifold.7 whereby fluid may be pumped into the tank underpressure.

5. The subject matter of claim l, and said funnel shaped structureextending across and communicating with substantially the mid-third ofthe width of the upper part of said receptacle.

6. A device of the kind described comprising a receptacle having top,bottom and side walls, battles in said receptacle coextensive with threeside walls thereof and terminating short of the fourth wall to form anopening coextensive with the latter wall, and a series of heating tubeshaving closed ends, extending parallel with the coextensive openingsbetween the bafes and the top and bottom walls of said receptacle, saidbottom wall having inlets, and said top wall having a rearwardly ex'-tending part which forms the upper side of a rearwardly tapering funnelwhich communicates with said receptacle, said outlet leading from therear part of said funnel, the uppermost of the aforesaid bafes having a.front edge portion spaced away from the front wall of said receptacle.

References {Iited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS945,904 Barrett lan. ll, 1910 1,640,049 Nesmith Aug. 23, 1927 1,985,830Hynes Dec. 25, 1934 2,421,562 Hynes June 3, 1947

